BUNDY-ESQUE

05.11.14

Utah Protestors Storm Federal Land

Jim Urquhart/Reuters

In a move straight from the playbook of Cliven Bundy, citizens in Utah's San Juan County attempted to create a standoff with the federal government on Saturday. Frustrated with federal regulations against driving ATVs through Recapture Canyon, 200 residents gathered at a rally and proceeded to drive the forbidden vehicles into the canyon. Although Bureau of Land Management officials did not take steps against the protestors, the incident embodies the growing antigovernment attitudes in the West, especially when it comes to land and resource regulations. Last week, two men in rural Utah pointed a handgun at a BLM worker and said "You need to die." Former BLM Director Patrick Shea said these types of threats should be taken seriously. "They scare me,” he said. “If someone gets drunk or angry and decides to use their weapon, then we have bloodshed. And there's always a loose nut who's going to show how much testosterone he has."